Pardew hits out at McManaman’s ‘awful challenge’

Wigan, England: Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew hit out at young Wigan forward Callum McManaman for the dreadful tackle on Massadio Haidara that sparked chaotic scenes at the DW Stadium on Sunday.

McManaman’s first-half lunge at Haidara saw the French defender taken to hospital with suspected knee ligament damage and led to Newcastle coach John Carver being sent off at half-time for trying to get to the Wigan player as the teams left the field. Wigan coach Graham Barrow was also dismissed by referee Mark Halsey for his part in the melee.

Pardew said: “It’s an awful challenge. The pictures speak for themselves. I thought it was a bad challenge and I was 60 yards away from the incident.

“I’m disappointed for our team and Wigan for the way it was conducted. I’ve lost a game in the last minute to what I think is a handball and also got a boy going to hospital. The diagnosis will not be good because the tackle was so bad. That is the truth of it. Bad bruising is the best we can hope for.

“I don’t know what happened at half-time. I was in the dressing room. My job was to calm the players at half-time and try to go and win the second half.”

McManaman may face action from the FA that could yet rule him out of Wigan’s FA Cup semi-final against Millwall next month.

That will depend on Halsey’s report and there were conflicting accounts from both managers regarding whether the official saw the incident. If Halsey did see it and merely decided to take no action, than the FA’s hands will be tied. Pardew said: “He apologised at half-time because he missed it. He didn’t explain why.”

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez had a different view. He said: “The referee saw it clearly and they are big decisions in split seconds. When you get the ball and then the follow-up, it’s very difficult for a panel to punish that.

“Remember, it was Callum’s full debut in the Premier League. I believe he touches the ball and then it’s a bad challenge. But it’s nothing malicious. He’s not that sort of boy. He wants to contact the player to apologise.

“He will do that. He is in a football club where those values are very important and he will definitely apologise.”

Pardew was also upset about Halsey failing to spot a Maynor Figueroa handball in the lead-up to Arouna Kone’s winning goal.

He said: “It’s tough to take. The linesman’s looking right at it, all of our players reacted and, in that split second, we didn’t clear it because of our reaction to the handball. That’s what happens when you miss a decision as big as that.”